Mane sends Senegal through but Ghana on the brink in AFCON qualifying

By Sports Desk October 15, 2024

Sadio Mane's last-gasp free-kick sent Senegal to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after edging out Malawi 1-0 on Tuesday. 

Despite dominating for large parts of the contest, Senegal were unable to break down Malawi's stern defence, with goalkeeper William Thole making a string of impressive saves. 

However, after Robert Saiz hauled Mane down just outside the area, the Al-Nassr forward stepped up and curled home the winner in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.

The 2021 winners of the competition joined Burkina Faso in qualifying for the tournament that takes place in Morocco next year, with both sides on 10 points in Group L. 

But in Group F, Ghana look set to miss the tournament for the first time since 2004 after slumping to a 2-0 defeat to Sudan at the Martyrs of February Stadium. 

Despite the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams in their ranks, two goals in three second-half minutes from Ahmed Al-Tash and Mohamed Abdel Rahman did the damage.

Ghana remain winless in their four qualifying games so far and sit five points adrift of the top two, knowing they must beat both group leaders Angola and then Niger next month to have any chance of reaching the finals.

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    Though Dwight Yorke is committed to throwing his best efforts into his new role as senior Soca Warriors Head coach, former teammate Shaka Hislop believes it is the talent within Trinidad and Tobago’s setup that will ultimately determine the success of his tenure.

    Yorke, the former Manchester United and Soca Warriors striker, was given a mandate by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) to qualify the Twin Island Republic to the 2026 Fifa World Cup or face the boot and the 53-year-old has declared his readiness to give of his best.

    “Rest assured, I will give 100. I feel very calm, very excited at the same time, but fully aware of the challenge that is lying ahead. There’s lots of hard work to be done,” Yorke told TTFA media interview shortly after arriving in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.

    “Not just me, the backroom stuff, the players to get where we want to get... obviously, trying to qualify for the World Cup. And yes, along the way, I’m sure they’re going to be some testing times for us. But that’s the challenges that lies ahead. So once we embrace it, once we are fully aware of it, and once we get the support, I fully believe, I’m fully confident that we can get the job done,” he added.

    However, Hislop, while welcoming Yorke’s appointment, knows all too well that coaches coach but the results will ultimately come from how the players perform on match days.

    In fact, Hislop, who along with Yorke represented the Soca Warriors at the 2006 global showpiece, was not shy to admit that the current squad lacks depth and sufficient talent, which he believes represent the toughest aspect of the puzzle at this point. This, as aside from AEK Athens striker Levi Garcia, Yorke’s current crop is made up of mostly lower leagues or home-based players.

    “We’ve kind of stumbled from coach to coach over the last four or five years, probably dating back to Stephen Hart when he was in charge. But I think the TTFA got it right this time. That’s with the greatest respect to our teammate Dennis Lawrence and Angus Eve, who have both been in charge of the team, but results really didn’t go their way,” Hislop shared during a podcast.

    “I think the big challenge for Dwight coming in with this squad is it’s not a very talented squad, if I may say so... certainly, on paper, and results would bear that out. How he’s able to find the right pieces for this puzzle is going to be Dwight’s biggest test,” the ESPN analyst added.

    That said, Hislop also pointed to the significance of match fitness and, as such, urged the TTFA to ensure Yorke and his players consistently engage warm-up games during the November 2024 and March 2025 international windows.

    Trinidad and Tobago currently sit second in Group B on four points, two behind Costa Rica, with St. Kitts and Nevis (three points), Grenada (one point), and the Bahamas (zero point) completing the group. Qualifying action will resume in June 2025.

    “We’ve got some games during the international window as well. We’ve got the November window, which will be Dwight’s first time on the sidelines. So we have opportunity to see the squad, to make adjustments, to try to bring in players before things get very serious in terms of qualifiers,” Hislop noted.

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    Musiala was on target in Bayern's 1-0 win over St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday, netting his fifth goal of the campaign in just eight league appearances.

    The 21-year-old has notched 13 goal contributions (nine goals, four assists) in all competitions for Vincent Kompany's side, with his impact on the side continuing to grow. 

    Only Michael Olise (seven) and Harry Kane (16) have more goal involvements than Musiala (six) for Bayern in the Bundesliga this term. 

    Musiala has also converted 89% of his big chances this season for Bayern in all competitions (8/9) - the best figure of all players from Europe's five major leagues with at least five big chances in 2024-25.

    He has impressed on the international stage too. The midfielder notched four goal involvements (one goal, three assists) in Germany's 5-0 win over Hungary in September, becoming the youngest player to do so in a single game in the competition. 

    After missing Germany's last Nations League fixtures through injury, Musiala is keen to continue his progression for his country. 

    "The focus is to get better and keep putting in the work and not look around too much. For me it is important to take steps forward," Musiala said. 

    "Last season I did that and maybe the goals and assists were missing a bit. I work on power, to be fit game after game.

    "I want to have as few injuries as possible to make as many matches as possible."

    "Over the years I have been looking less and less at all that," he said when asked about recent praise in the media. 

    "I also do not do it when things are not going well. It is important in good times and bad times to have the same routine."

    Germany take on Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday before travelling to Budapest three days later to square off against Hungary. 

    Julian Nagelsmann's side have already qualified for the quarter-finals of the Nations League, sitting five points clear at the top of Group A3 with two games remaining. 

    But Germany have struggled at major tournaments in recent years, falling in the quarter-finals at Euro 2024 to eventual champions Spain. 

    They have also failed to get out of the group stages in the last two editions of the World Cup, though Musiala was confident about his side's chances at the 2026 tournament, which takes place across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

    "The Euro was not perfect as we all had wanted, but we still see the possibilities that are there," Musiala said.

    "We have a year and a half until the World Cup, and we can take steps forward.

    "Learn the lessons from the past two tournaments and hopefully play a good World Cup," he added. 

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    The match, full of drama and excitement, saw both teams display moments of brilliance, but Arnett Garden’s grit and clinical finishing ultimately made the difference.

    Arnett Gardens were spurred by goals from in-form Warner Brown in the ninth and ever-reliable Kimani Arbouine (66th), while Anthony Nelson (23rd) got on the scoresheet for Tivoli Gardens, who ended with 10 players as Kavon Wilson was red carded in the 71st.

    With the win, the “Junglists” moved to 15 points, though they remain in sixth place in the league standings. Tivoli Gardens, on the other hand, were left frustrated as they remained in 13th place with just one win and six points from their opening eighth matches.

    Winning coach Xavier Gilbert believes it was a hard-earned victory that showcased their attacking quality and the importance of taking their chances.

    “Thankfully, we got the three points; we know it wasn’t going to be easy, but we are happy that we came out on top. We had to make some tactical adjustments, and luckily they worked for us. We try to mix things up as much as possible in terms of our depth; sometimes it is forced, and sometimes for tactical reasons we try to analyse our opponents and select the best 11 that we think can get the job done. So credit to the guys for the way they fought back in the game,” Gilbert said in a post-game interview.

    The match started at an electric pace, with Arnett Gardens seizing the initiative early when Brown produced a tidy finish from close range to a perfectly weighted pass from Arbouine.

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    They eventually responded through a well-worked goal as Justin Dunn’s weighted pass found Nelson in space, and the Tivoli Gardens striker coolly slotted the ball past Richardo White in goal for Arnett Gardens to level the score at 1-1.

    The equalizer seemed to breathe new life into Tivoli Gardens, who began to grow into the game. Their pressure nearly paid off on two occasions, the first of which saw Nelson’s effort being kept out by White’s head in a one-on-one situation.

    Tivoli again went close just before halftime when Lennox Russell found himself with a golden opportunity, as he left an advancing White for dead but watched as his shot was blocked by Arnett’s defender Oshane Watson at the last second.

    Both teams continued their push for the go-ahead goal on the resumption with Tivoli Gardens again ruing their luck as Dunn’s effort got by White but came back off the upright.

    Arnett responded minutes later as Jaheim Thomas unleashed a stinging effort from a distance that was parried by Tivoli Gardens’ custodian Diego Haughton.

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